Complementary and alternative medications for women's health issues

Nutr Clin Pract. 2009 Oct-Nov;24(5):589-608. doi: 10.1177/0884533609343001.

Abstract

Women often seek alternative treatment options such as herbs, dietary supplements, and vitamins and minerals to treat women's health issues across the lifespan. Women may use complementary and alternative supplements for dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome, infertility, nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, and symptoms of menopause. In general, there is a deficit of well-designed, randomized, controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative medicine for these indications, which makes it difficult to provide evidence-based recommendations. This review outlines the evidence for efficacy and safety that is currently available for dietary supplement use by women to manage health conditions specific to the female patient.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Complementary Therapies / methods*
  • Dietary Supplements*
  • Dysmenorrhea / therapy
  • Female
  • Herbal Medicine / methods
  • Hot Flashes / therapy
  • Humans
  • Infertility, Female / therapy
  • Menopause
  • Phytotherapy / methods
  • Plants, Medicinal
  • Pregnancy
  • Premenstrual Syndrome / therapy
  • Women's Health*